Everton move top after Spurs win

Everton stormed to the top of the Barclays Premier League after keeping Tottenham’s £40million strikeforce quiet following their 3-1 victory at White Hart Lane.

Joleon Lescott opened the scoring early on, with Anthony Gardner levelling matters to give the hosts hope.

But goals from Leon Osman and Alan Stubbs before the break earned Everton their second win of the season from their first two games.

Spurs boss Martin Jol had Darren Bent, Dimitar Berbatov and Robbie Keane in his starting XI but it was his problems at the back that were exposed.

With their four strikers, Spurs have been tipped to break into the Champions League places – but like last year, the north Londoners have suffered a poor start.

All eyes were on the strikers at White Hart Lane – with Wayne Rooney’s foot injury meaning Steve McClaren could have a close look at Bent, Defoe and Everton’s Andrew Johnson. However, it was a homegrown centre-half who opened the scoring.

Paul Stalteri fouled Mikel Arteta on the right flank for the set-piece, and the Spaniard curved the ball in for Lescott to head home.

It got worse for Jol in the 18th minute when Younes Kaboul limped off. When the equaliser came it was centre-back Gardner who thudded in his second league goal for the club, losing Lescott to head home from Jermaine Jenas’ 26th-minute corner.

The lead lasted little more than 10 minutes, Arteta chipping a cross from the right to the back post where Osman made the most of the confusion to lash into the roof of the net, catching Robinson out of position.

Stubbs took over from set-piece duties and extended the lead in first-half stoppage time with a free-kick from 30 yards which found the bottom corner, taking a cruel deflection off Didier Zokora.